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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587877">Old Souls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havoklysm/pseuds/Havoklysm'>Havoklysm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>1899, AU, Alternate Universe, Arthur and Alastor have history, Blood, Crossover, Drinking, Friendship, Gen, Human Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Potential Spoilers, Saint Denis, Sick Arthur, mention of human sacrifices, mention of murder, mention of voodoo, rdr2 spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:41:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587877</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havoklysm/pseuds/Havoklysm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur shares a drink with an old friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Old Souls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If you have yet to play Red Dead Redemption 2, there're probably some spoilers in here. So if you'd rather not get spoiled, don't read. I know the game's been out for a few years now, but just in case! Otherwise, please enjoy this strange crossover my brain just had to write!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Ya good for another round, Al?” A gruff, deep voice spoke up over the ambient noise of the saloon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm,” the man in question took a thoughtful sip of his drink of choice, a glass of whiskey, before leaning forward, elbows on the bartop. “I suppose I could do for one more so long as you’re paying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arthur grunted. “Ya know I ain’t got much money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor turned on the stool he sat upon, the smile on his face practically glowing. The gesture reached his eyes, which were partially obscured by thin wire-framed glasses. His hair, a soft brown, he wore neatly trimmed and short, with clothing not showing a speck of dust or dirt despite living out in the bayous of Saint Denis. “And yet here we are anyway.” He gestured around them. “That’s quite alright though. With your profession, you should be just fine!” The man laughed, causing his companion to roll his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear ya got more screws loose than Micah, boy.” Arthur shook his head. Coin didn’t come by easily when living the life of an outlaw, and it seemed less so given recent circumstances, which led to Arthur bluntly adding on, "or Dutch, for that matter."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I do get that a lot,” the brunet chuckled, turning back to face the bar proper. "I don't much like Micah myself. Off Putting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Loud</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m surprised by Dutch though. Has he gotten bad? He seemed alright last time you dropped by."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Keeps talkin' 'bout his plan and leavin' to Tahiti, but he'd been sayin' that for months now and look at us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Most unfortunate." Alastor fell quiet, until visibly perking up. “I will buy this round, my friend. Don’t fret.” He waved to get the bartender's attention, ordering a second round of their respective drinks. “I would have thought you’d be quitting your profession soon, Arthur. No offense, but you look awful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heh,” the gunslinger polished off his current beer, thanking the bartender when the fresh one appeared before him. He downed a good portion of the new one before looking at his companion. “I tried to get outta this life, Al, but it ain’t done me no good. I dunno anythin’ else, and I’m gettin’ old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even old dogs can learn new tricks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, that may be true, but I reckon I’m just too tired for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair.” Alastor hummed, finishing the last of his first whiskey before slowly moving on to the second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you? Last I heard you was tryin’ to get into radio. God knows ya got a voice for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I am, and that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” An excited twinkle glimmered in Alastor’s dark eyes as he shifted that look onto the older man. “You’ve been away for a while. Quite a bit has changed in my life.” After a moment, that look settled into something else. “However, sometimes old habits are difficult to shake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya still doin’ butchers work?” Arthur’s brow raised, blinking at his friend. Naturally, by butcher, he meant less savory things. There was a reason Arthur and the brunet knew each other beyond past instances, after all. The man could dismantle and dispose of a corpse as if it never existed, and the outlaw knew living in the bayous helped that be possible. It was something Arthur discovered shortly after they first met and had gone hunting together. The boy had a knack for it, and circumstances led to Alastor becoming a good place to dispose of unwanted waste when in the area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No bodies meant less heat on their tail, after all. And with all the stunts they pulled? They needed diversions whenever they could afford. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here and there.” Al shrugged, then started to laugh, “If I don’ feed de gators, dey come a huntin’ for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’d be a shame if your own damn pets ate ya.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have spoiled them!” Another laugh, the grin on the radio host’s face near splitting it in half. “If anything, I must thank them for allowing me to live in their territory. I genuinely believe that if I don’t keep them fed though, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> come after me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arthur laughed along with him, smiling back at the other man. “Well, either way, glad ya seem to be doin’ good for yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I could say the same to you.” Although the smile remained on his face, it did diminish a great deal and his brows furrowed a tad. “You don’t appear well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I--” Arthur contemplated telling the other or not, but decided that he might as well. The butcher was good at keeping secrets, and they’d shared a few of their own together at this point, so what was one more? A heavy sigh left his mouth, and he drank another long gulp of beer before keeping his eyes away and speaking softly. “I got tuberculosis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor said nothing at first, soaking in the brief statement before he started to shake his head. “I would have expected you to go out a different way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too, if I’m bein’ honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gunshot wound of somesort, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’d be the obvious one. Maybe hanged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you managed to get caught, yes, possible even that.” Alastor shrugged, quieted, then asked after a little bit, “how did you get it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Collectin’ debts. The guy coughed on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm. I suppose this means . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not much time left, I’m afraid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am sorry to hear that, my friend.” Alastor’s voice was sincere, the smile on his face gone for a rare moment. “If you find yourself in Saint Denis before your ultimate demise, do give me a visit, would you? You make for great company, and I will mourn your death. I’d like at least one more moment with you before the end if possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Preciate that. I do. And if I find myself in the area again, I’ll stop by.” Arthur finished off his drink, not expecting the mood to get so heavy, but he felt lighter getting it off his chest. However after a beat, he started to laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, do tell.” Alastor’s grin was back, amusement sparkling in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya don’t like people very much, yet ya seem to like </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> company. What’s it about this old man ya find a friend in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like the most honest answer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re willin’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you know, my mama was with a bad man--my father. He didn’t treat her well, not at all, and so when he left one day never to return? Well, it was a blessing.” Alastor sighed. “I never knew good men, but I strived to be one. Then you came into our life. My mama liked you, said you were a good man. I didn’t believe it at first, but I do now. Have for a while.” A shrug. “You met me when I was a teenage boy and left an impression, despite how little you were around for the last ten years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do gotta history, huh?” Arthur leaned his elbows on the counter. “Your mama was a good woman.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad ya did well for yourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were one of the lucky ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In a way I considered you a sort of father figure, I suppose.” Alastor quieted, before adding. “I knew how to hunt before you entered our lives, but I cherished our trips together and what you taught me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad I could do some good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.” Alastor was quiet for another long moment before he stood, motioning for the other to follow suit. When he did, the radio host led them outside, after tossing coins on the counter, and began to walk leisurely down the street. “Were you surprised to learn what I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya mean the butcherin’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Disappointed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe at first. I’d hoped you’d lead a good life, not do crime. It wasn’t my influence, was it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I dabbled in dark magics, which ultimately led me down this path.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya meanin’ your voodoo stuff?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Being an oral tradition, it was easy enough to learn from my mother. I'm sure you can guess why I ‘butchered’ as I did.” After a beat of silence, he corrected himself. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Do</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, but I'd rather not know the details. This old fool's haunted by his own demons."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's fair. I wasn't planning on sharing much about that anyway." Alastor waved a hand around. He didn’t think Arthur would appreciate hearing how he used the people he murdered as sacrifices. It easily killed two birds with one stone, and who was he to squander an opportunity? But not everyone liked that thought. Even though the outlaw killed and did so often, doing so for </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> reasons didn’t always sit right with some. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The quiet grew between them, filled only with their footsteps and the sauntering gait of drunkards and prostitutes alike, until Arthur broke it. "I had a son, y'know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?” This information grabbed the brunet’s attention enough to draw his eyes toward his company. “What happened to him?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Killed. He and his ma both."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry to hear that. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a cruel world, isn't it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure is." Arthur grunted, shaking his head. "Don't getcha self killed too, alright, boy?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ideally, I won't. It certainly doesn't fall into my plans, after all." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It never does." Arthur sighed heavily but felt a tickle in his throat. He rubbed at his chest as he started to cough, coming to a halt. He covered his mouth with one hand, which presented the telltale sign of his coming demise and caused him to grimace. A gentle hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts, eyes moving to see Alastor smiling faintly in close proximity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're a good man, Arthur. Don't forget that, even when the darkness comes for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, managing a smile of his own, before calming his fit enough to speak. "You take care of yourself, kid. Hopefully I'll see ya 'gain soon. But if not? I'll see ya on the other side someday."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll look for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't doubt ya will." Arthur smiled, offering out his non-bloodied hand for a shake. To his surprise, Alastor actually took it. Both men gave the proper farewells and bid one another goodbye, parting ways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd miss Alastor. Though a little weird, he'd always been a sweet kid despite finding his way into the gruesome underbelly of the world they lived in.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had this idea while listening to the song "Little Sadie" from The Last of Us Part II soundtrack. I don't know why it spurred me on to make a crossover like this, but I couldn't help myself once the idea came to me. "Through the Valley" was another inspiration. </p><p>Saint Denis is also my favorite location in Red Dead Redemption 2, and since it's based on New Orleans, it was only suiting to add Alastor! Haha</p><p>So, yeah, if anyone would like more of this AU, I will happily oblige. I've been wanting to write some RDR fics anyway, but since I'm still into HH and don't want to lose my thread with that yet, it kinda worked to combine them. I am still working on a second chapter of Another Dose, as well as another AU story for RadioDust, but this came first! Naturally, if I write more for this AU, I will be adding in other HH characters. The pairing, if I choose to add one and to no one's surprise, will be RadioDust.</p><p>About their ages:<br/>Arthur is 36 years old, so I made Alastor 26. They first met when Al was 16.</p><p>Radio was invented in 1895, and the setting for RDR2 is 1899, so Al can still be a radio host in this. And obviously this is an AU anyway, so canon has little play here. Especially from HH.</p><p>Thank you for reading! And also thank you in advance for any kudos, comments, bookmarks, ect.! I appreciate every little bit, and I hope you enjoy this! &lt;33</p></blockquote></div></div>
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